1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital image reproducing apparatus and a method for reproducing an image picked up with a digital still camera.
2. Description of Related Art
A digital still camera is provided with an image sensor, which converts an optical image thereon into an electrical image signal. The picked-up image by the image sensor is converted into JPEG coded data or the like and the coded data is stored onto digital camera storage such as a flash memory incorporated therein. When reproduced, the camera decodes the stored data and displays the decoded image on a finder composed of a liquid crystal display (LCD). A digital still camera may be provided with a driver for an external storage medium like a floppy disk (FD), a compact FD, a PC card mounted with a flash memory, a compact flash memory card, or the like. In this case, the coded data of a picked-up image is stored onto the external storage medium. The digital still camera can also be equipped with a serial interface, which is used to output the stored coded data to the outside. Some of the digital still cameras are further equipped with a video output terminal and an audio output terminal and can output the stored data as a video signal and an audio signal.
Since the LCD finder of a digital still camera is small, it is necessary to transfer the image data to external equipment having a large-screen display device to make a large screen display of the picked-up image. Further, for making a print output, the image data needs to be transferred to external equipment having a printer.
FIG. 1 shows a general configuration for reproduction of image data or audio data stored in the digital still camera by using a personal computer. A digital still camera 100 is composed of a camera housing 108 which is provided with a video output terminal 109 to be connected with a television set, an audio output terminal 110 to be connected with the television set or the like, a serial data terminal 111 for digital video data and digital audio data, and a PC card slot 112 for writing digital video data onto a PC card or the like mounted with a storage medium such as a flash memory.
A personal computer 400 has a serial data terminal 401 capable of inputting digital video data and digital audio data, or a PC card slot 402 for writing data to or reading data from a PC card including the flash memory or the like. To the personal computer 400, there are also connected a monitor 404 using a CRT, a LCD or the like. Further, there are also connected a printer 405 through a printer cable 406, a keyboard 407 and a pointing device 408.
In such a system, a user turns on power-supply switches of the personal computer 400, the monitor 404 and the printer 405, respectively, and waits for a start up of an operating system (OS) of the personal computer 400. In the case where the image data of the digital still camera 100 is transferred to the computer 400 using the PC card or the like, the PC card storing the image data is inserted into the PC card slot 402 in the operating state where the OS is normally running on the CPU. In the case of transferring the image data of the digital still camera 100 through the serial interface, the serial data terminal 111 of the digital still camera 100 is connected to the serial data terminal 401 of the personal computer 400 through the serial data cable. Then, the digital still camera 100 is turned on and thereby the image data is transferred from the digital still camera 100 through the serial data cable to the computer 400 and the transferred image data is stored onto the hard disk or the like of the personal computer 400.
After the image data has been transferred to the personal computer 400, the user inputs a command through the keyboard 407 or the mouse 408 so that a digital image reproducing program is started. Further, the user inputs the directory of an image data file storing the image data and then the digital image reproducing program starts reproducing the original image from the image data of the image data file to display it on the monitor 404. If there is an audio data file associated with the image data file, the audio data file is also read out to reproduce an audio signal at the same time when the image data file is read out.
When the user wants to make a print out of the image on a paper or the like, the user clicks a print button on the screen display with the mouse 408 and thereby the displayed image data is output to the printer 405, which then produces hard copy output.
FIG. 2 shows another system configuration for reproducing image or sound stored in the digital still camera 100. The video output terminal 109 of the digital still camera 100 is connected with a video input terminal 506 of a television set 501 through a cable 503, and the audio output terminal 110 of the digital still camera 100 is connected with an audio input terminal 507 of the television set 501 through a cable 502. Further, a video image output terminal 508 of the television set 501 is connected with a video signal input terminal 509 of a video printer 505 through a cable 504. A remote control unit 510 transmits a control signal to the television set 501 by infrared ray, for example.
In such a system, when the power supply cord of the television set 501 has been inserted into a wall outlet, power is supplied to necessary circuit components including a CPU and a remote-control receiver circuit. In this state, the power supply switch remains in the off position and therefore power is not supplied to television receiver circuits including a tuner, an NTSC signal processor, and a cathode-ray tube (CRT). When the power-supply switch has been turned on manually or by the remote control unit, the power is supplied to the tuner, the NTSC signal processor, the CRT and other necessary circuits.
If the user wants to reproduce an image picked up by the digital still camera 100, the user operates the remote control unit 510 to change an input directory from the tuner to the video input terminal 506 and the audio input terminal 507 connected to the digital still camera 100. Accordingly, the video signal and the audio signal of the digital still camera 100 are transferred to the television set 501. The image picked up by the digital still camera 100 is reproduced and displayed on the CRT, and the sound recorded in the digital still camera 100 is output from a speaker.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 4-328974, there is disclosed a portable still image filing apparatus which is equipped with the input terminal for video and audio signals and an interface to an external storage unit, and further equipped with an interface to a personal computer and the signal output terminal used to be connected to an external monitor device. The monitor device can be incorporated in this filing apparatus.
According to the conventional still image filing apparatus, the respective image and audio data input from the video signal and audio signal input terminals can be reproduced by the monitor device. The image data and audio data can also be processed by the externally connected personal computer. Further, information can be input to and output from the external storage unit through the interface to the external storage unit.
As image and sound recorded by the digital still camera have been reproduced in the manner as described above, there are developed following disadvantages.
1) In the case of reproduction of image and sound through the serial interface or the external storage medium such as a PC card or the like, it is necessary to prepare the personal computer 400 equipped with a serial interface port or an interface for the external storage medium, such as a PC card slot 402. The user must wait for start-up of the OS of the personal computer 400, and after the startup of the OS, the user must start the image and sound reproduction program and further specify the directory of the image and audio data file by using the keyboard 407 and the mouse 408.
In general, at the time of starting up the OS of the personal computer 400, it takes time until the startup of the OS is completed. The reason is that the OS performs a check procedure of the keyboard 407, the mouse 408 and other peripheral components before the completion of the start up of the OS. Further, since the application program request user""s operations, it takes more time before the image and sound become ready for reproduction. In other words, if the image and sound of the digital still camera 100 are to be reproduced using the personal computer 400, it takes time until the reproduction becomes ready for starting after the personal computer 400 has been started. Such an operation causes the user to be kept waiting, resulting in irritated user.
It is also necessary to secure a place for setting the personal computer 400 and the monitor 404. Further, if the personal computer 400 is not available at home, it is not possible to reproduce the image and sound of the digital still camera 100.
2) If the personal computer 400 is not available at home, it is necessary to reproduce the image and sound of the digital still camera 100 by using a video reproducing device such as the television set 501 or the like. In this case, the user must at first connect the video output terminal 109 and the audio output terminal 110 of the digital still camera 100 to the video input terminal 506 and the audio input terminal 507 of the television set 501 through cables 502 and 503, respectively. Next, the user must turn on the television set 501 and the digital still camera 100, and then must set the television 501 so that the signal input port is changed to the video input terminal 506 and the audio input terminal 507 using the remote control unit 510 before reproducing the image and audio.
In general, a television set is not designed to be connected to the digital still camera 100. Therefore, in the case of using the television set 510 as an image reproducing unit, the user needs to select a video reproducing mode by operating a television/video change-over key on the remote control unit 510. However, a user who is not aware of this selective processing cannot carry out the reproduction of the image and sound transferred from the digital still camera 100.
3) In the case where the printer 405 produces the hardcopy output of an image transferred from the digital still camera 100 using the personal computer 400, it is further necessary to turn on the printer 405 and to click the print button displayed on screen by the application program. Accordingly, it is also necessary to secure a place for setting the printer 405, which further requires wiring arrangement and mouse operation for executing the printing. This is cumbersome to the user. If the personal computer 400 is not available at home, it is not possible to carry out the printing.
4) In the case where the video reproducing equipment such as the television set 501 produces the hardcopy output of an image transferred from the digital still camera 100, it is necessary to prepare the video printer 505. In this case, the user must at first connect the video output terminal 109 of the digital still camera 100 to the video input terminal 506 of the television set 501 through the cable 503. Then, the user must connect the video output terminal 508 of the television set 501 to the video signal input terminal 509 of the video printer 505 through the cable 504. In the case of connecting the video output terminal 109 of the digital still camera 100 to the video signal input terminal 509 of the video printer 505 for direct printing, it is necessary to connect the video input terminal 506 of the television printer 505 to the video input terminal 506 of the television set 501 for confirming the image to be printed. The user then turns on the television set 501, the digital still camera 100 and the video printer 505. Then, the user operates the digital still camera 100 to select a target image by confirming the image on the display of the television set 501, and has the image printed out by the video printer 505.
As explained above, when the image of the digital still camera 100 is to be printed out by using the television set 501 or the like, the wiring becomes complex and it also requires a considerable work for making hardcopy output of the image. Further, since the video printer 505 is expensive, this is not prepared at home in most cases.
5) The data of an image picked up by the digital still camera 100 is stored in a flash memory accommodated in the camera or in an external storage medium such as a PC card or the like. In general, after this image has been reproduced, the image is erased for the next image pick-up. In the case of reproducing the image using the personal computer 400, the image data can be stored in the hard disk or the like of the personal computer 400. However, in the case of reproducing the image by using the television set 501 or the like, there is no means available for storing the image data. In other words, under the circumstance of unavailability of the personal computer 400, it is difficult to store the image picked up by the digital still camera 100.
6) The still image filing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 4-328974 has an object of portability as clearly described in the disclosure. Therefore, only a relative small-sized monitor device can be incorporated. Accordingly, although this has a monitoring function, it is still necessary to connect this apparatus to an external monitor device or a personal computer in order to make the reproduction of a larger-screen image. Further, because of the portable type, it is difficult to incorporate a printer in this apparatus, and it is necessary to connect a video printer or the like to this apparatus to produce hardcopy output of the image data. In other words, this conventional apparatus disclosed in the above publication cannot make by itself an effective reproduction or print output of the image data input from the digital still camera.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital image reproducing apparatus and method, which can easily reproduce image and/or sound recorded by a digital still camera.
According to the present invention, digital image reproducing apparatus reproduces at least an image picked up by a digital still camera. The apparatus includes an input interface for inputting recorded data of the digital still camera, the recorded data including at least image data; a converter for converting the recorded data into reproduced data; and a user interface for producing a recognizable output based on the reproduced data. The user interface may be a display, a speaker, and/or a printer.
Further, the apparatus includes a power supply; a data medium connectable to the input interface, wherein the data medium is used to provide the recorded data to the input interface; and a controller controlling the input interface, the converter, the user interface, and the power supply. The data medium may be a PC card, a floppy disk, or a serial interface.
Preferably, when the power supply is turned on, the input interface may input the recorded data from the data medium and the converter is activated to convert the recorded data to the reproduced data under control of the controller. Alternatively, when the data medium is connected to the input interface, the power supply may be turns on and the converter is activated to convert the recorded data to the reproduced data under control of the controller.